Resilient Knicks Stave Off Elimination, Force Game Six in Miami
The New York Knicks trailed the Miami Heat by as many as 10 points in the first half, but battled back to lead 50-47 at halftime, never trail in the second half, and win, 112-103. The Heat still lead this second round series 3-2, and can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season with a game six win at home.
Jalen Brunson continued his excellent playoff run with another outstanding performance: game-high 38 points on 12-22 field goal shooting, nine rebounds, team-high seven assists. R.J. Barrett added 26 points and seven rebounds, and Julius Randle had 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The Knicks pummeled the Heat inside, winning the rebounding battle 50-34 and shooting 29-40 from the free throw line compared to just 16-19 for the Heat. Brunson and New York's other starting guard, Quentin Grimes, each played all 48 minutes.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 19 points, a quiet game by his playoff standards. He also had a game-high nine assists plus seven rebounds. Bam Adebayo had 18 points and eight rebounds. Duncan Robinson scored 17 points off of the bench in just 22 minutes.
The first quarter looked like two drunk people in a rock fight: the Heat shot just 8-24 from the field (.364), but the Knicks shot even worse than that (6-20, .300), and thus the Heat led 24-14 as it seemed that both teams would struggle to score 90 points. The Knicks' offense came alive in the second quarter, mainly due to Brunson (14 points, four assists), and New York led 50-47 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Knicks extended their lead to as much as 19 (73-54) before settling for an 84-74 advantage heading into the final stanza. Brunson scored 10 third quarter points.
The Heat never stopped battling even though they struggled to make shots, and they pulled to within two points (103-101) on a Butler free throw with 2:37 remaining, but the Knicks sealed their victory with a 9-2 closing burst.
Road elimination games are tough, but when this series shifts back to Miami the Heat will most likely shoot better and finish the job.
Labels: Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, Miami Heat, New York Knicks
posted by David Friedman @ 12:02 AM
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